Two Letters
by Bones365
Summary: A little piece of fluff about Claire's least favorite word... and how Quil made it that way.


_Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything, but hopefully this will make someone happy. Reviews are never demanded, they just make my day!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. Characters are all Stephanie Meyers!_

It was the one word Claire hated hearing from me more than anything in the world. Obviously, then, I did my best to shield her from it. I mean the roots of her deep-seeded hatred were completely my fault. I'll totally take the blame for it. She's a complete brat, but at the same time, she's so sweet and kind and caring that it makes up for everything.

So, yeah. I, Quil Ateara, made her hate the word "no", but I like to think that it was my first step in corrupting her. Now, don't get me wrong, previously in her life, I did my best to keep her squeaky clean in body and mind. She hated baths, so I invented the Rubber Duck Dance. She hated saying please, so I made up the Please Pass the Peas song. When she got old enough to write thank you notes, which she also hated, I bought her a set of stickers and gel pens to make even _that_ fun.

(Let's ignore, for a moment, that now that she's old enough, my favorite thing in the whole world is corrupting her.)

But I refuse to reverse my decision to give Claire a deep and lasting dislike of the word "no". I guess you could say I'm selfish, if you really wanted, but I still wouldn't care. I _know_ I'm completely selfish, but in this case, I'm really ok with it. And I hear you saying: "But Quil, doesn't this make your life harder? Why would you encourage this?"

Well, unknown speaker, I will tell you. Just like I told her.

It all started one rainy Sunday afternoon. I know, I know, it's such a clichéd setting, but I swear, that's where it happened. I wouldn't lie to you. Trust me.

Anyways, she'd decided that she wanted to watch her old home videos, and even though I've got grown up Claire and everything, seeing her so little brings back all of the genuinely great memories, the best memories, I have. So we snuggled into the couch and hit play. As baby Claire popped up on the screen, grown up Claire, tilted her head up, kissing my cheek.

"Quil, do you think you could make some popcorn?" I had to tear my eyes away from the video of our first Christmas together.

"Yeah, of course. I'll be right back." She smiled up at me, watching me leave before turning back to the screen. An hour later, I felt a kiss on my cheek again.

"Quil? Could we switch to one where I can talk? I was cuter then." I frowned at her as I slid from under the blanket to kneel on the floor.

"You're cute all the time. Do you want year four or five?" She made and indecisive face, puckering her lips a little. I smiled. "If it helps, year five is when your front tooth fell out. And you had pigtails."

"Yeah. Pigtails." I pushed the DVD into the slot and flopped down on the couch, pulling her into my lap just as the screen flickered to life, showing Claire proudly smiling for the camera, then running away to show me her new quarter. The Claire in my arms laughed.

"God, I was adorable." I bent down to kiss her cheek.

"You're still adorable. I miss the pigtails, though." I laughed when Claire thumped my arm. We watched year five until the player buzzed and the screen went dark. Claire sat up and stretched just as a clap of thunder shook the house. She looked outside.

"Wow, it's really coming down out there. Will you watch another one with me?"

"Yes."

"Year three?"

I chuckled. "Yes."

"Um, will you do the thing?" She waved towards the TV. I kissed her before getting up again.

"Yes." I changed the disks and paused before sitting back down, checking the clock. "Hey, do you want some dinner? I was thinking pasta." Her eyes flickered from me to the TV.

"Uh…Yeah. Here, I'll make it." She was half way off the couch before I gently pushed her back down.

"Don't worry about it. I'll bring it to you." She sighed and flopped back down as the screen flickered to life.

"You spoil me." She accused as I walked into the kitchen. I didn't deny it, I just got the pasta pot out. After a few minutes, I heard her laugh from the room over.

"What's funny?" I called, knowing that a hell of a lot had been funny when Claire was six.

"I had forgotten about the Rubber Duck Dance!" She howled. I could see her in my mind, head thrown back, her shoulders shaking. I smirked.

"How could you forget about the dance?! It took me days to come up with the music and everything."

"_That_ took you days?" her laugh got even louder. Soon, dinner was ready, and I brought it out to her.

"You made garlic bread?" she asked, pausing the video as she sat up so I could place the plate in her lap. I scoffed.

"You sound so impressed. It was in the freezer. So, yeah, it was a big deal! The reheating and putting it on a plate? I'm lucky I haven't passed out."

"Well, hey, I'm still impressed. I would not have made bread." I sat down next to her, leaning in for a kiss before starting the movie again.

"That's a lie." I took a bite. "And yours probably would have been better."

The next scene was of little Claire in a high chair, me sitting across the table from her. Neither of us were talking, but Claire was obviously upset. I immediately remembered that day. It was a few seconds before the grown up Claire broke the silence.

"What are we doing?" She asked. "Are we having a staring contest?" I laughed.

"Just wait." Right then, the Claire on the TV screen banged her hands against the high chair tray, causing the Claire next to me to jump. My voice came over the speakers.

"Claire, big girls don't hit tables."

Little Claire frowned and hit the tray again. I sighed on screen.

"Claire, this is not the way to get what you-" I was cut off by the sippy cup being hurled at my head. I caught it and set it calmly down on the table in front of us.

"Bean!" Little Claire demanded, reaching for her fork. I snatched it before she could throw it at me.

"Claire, if you threw that at me, it would really hurt. You don't want to hurt me, do you?" My voice was so calm and reasonable, Claire was silent again, and now out of ammo, unless she wanted to throw a Cheerio at me. She crossed her chubby little arms and her hands were in tiny fists. We sat in the silence again.

"Really, what is this? I don't remember…throwing things." I looked at the Claire beside me.

"This is a video of the last time I ever told you no." Her eyes widened and flickered to me.

"You used to say no to me? I don't believe you. When?" Baby Claire banged her tray, but was silent again.

"When you were little. You didn't know what was best for you, so I still had a little leeway. But, really, most of the time, like this one, your parents made me."

"Made you?" her voice sounded incredulous. I marveled at the amount of time little Claire could stare at me. But she's always been stubborn.

"Yeah. Like here." I pointed to the screen. "This is the great jellybean debacle. I got you completely addicted, but your parents said you couldn't have them anymore. So I had to say no." Her eyes turned back to the screen.

Baby Claire actually _was_ throwing a cheerio at me, but I caught it in my mouth. The me on the screen waited for a reaction.

"Nothing?" I threw my arms out. "Claire! This is my best work! That was impressive." She folded her arms again, giving nothing away.

"That was, actually, impressive." Claire whispered beside me.

"Yeah. You admitted it later, too." She jumped as the little version of herself on the TV let out a loud shriek.

I didn't flinch in real life, or back then. I kept up the staring contest. I sighed.

"Claire, your parents said you couldn't have any." She squinted her eyes at me.

"Dey're gone." I sighed again.

"Yes, but I would still get in trouble." Claire leaned over her little tray.

"Would Cwaire get in twouble?" I threw my hands up.

"So you're just going to throw me under the bus? You'd abandon your best friend in the whole world. And for what?"

"Fow beans." She said seriously, nodding at me. My head thumped down on the table, but my shoulders still started shaking. I finally sat up, still smiling.

"You're funny, kid. I'll give you that." Claire nodded again.

"Quiw teach me." Her eyes widened. The Claire beside me laughed. So did the me on the screen.

"Me? I taught you to be funny? Listen, girly, flattery will get you nowhere. I'm under orders. Your parents orders. So, I'm really sorry, but you're not getting any jelly beans. They're bad for you."

Claire sat back in the high chair and huffed. "Quiw eat beans." She muttered, her eyes finally flicking away from me to the cookie jar on the counter on the other end of the table. The first tear leaked out.

"Claire." She didn't look at me, but her bottom lip started to tremble. She lowered her head to stare at her leftover Cheerios. I sighed, both on screen, and off. Even now, Claire's tears are not good for me. They just make me really uncomfortable.

"Claire, it's not that I don't _want_ to give you some beans. I really do, but-" her curls shook as her head shot up. There were tears streaming down her face with a little snot, too.

"Pwease? Cwaire wiw be good! And wobe Quiw! Foweber!" Across the table from her, I was totally caving.

"You'll love Quil forever?" She nodded forcefully, her ringlets shaking even harder. I grunted, and tried to keep up the staring contest.

"Pwease?" And there it was. It got me. _She_ got me. I sighed and stood up. I scooped her up out of her chair, resettling in my chair and dragging the cookie jar towards me and pulling out a ziplock bag full of jelly beans.

Claire was squealing and bouncing up and down on my lap, clapping her hands. I was muttering to myself on screen.

"Well, eternal love from my favorite person in the whole world, what's that compared to getting yelled at a little?" Her little hand shot out and grabbed some beans. I got some too, and we sat there, eating our contraband in silence, both completely happy.

"So, Claire, really. The Cheerio thing? That was pretty good, right?" She smiled up at me, her teeth blue.

"Bewry good! But Quiw…" she stood up and my hands automatically grabbed her little body as she re-situated herself so she was standing on my lap, looking into my eyes.

"Qwaire won't kiw Quiw fow beans." I would have cracked up, but she was so serious. I nodded.

"Ok. Thanks, Claire. That means a lot." She nodded and threw her arms around my neck, then turned and settled back into my lap, reaching for more candy. On screen, I sighed and looked straight at the camera, shrugging before turning it off, making the screen black.

Grown up Claire reached out to pause the next scene, her birthday party.

"Wow. So that was the last time?" I nodded, putting both our plates on the coffee table.

"Huh." I sat back and she sat up, swinging around so she was straddling me. "So _you're_ the reason I hate not getting my way." I smiled, tilting my head to kiss her, but she sat back so I couldn't reach. "And why I can't share. And why I have such a sweet tooth." She stared down at me accusingly.

"Guilty." I said, smiling up at her and running my hands down her sides.

"Is it that hard to turn me down?" she asked. I nodded, nuzzling her throat.

"But you said I didn't know what was best for me. Obviously eating that many jelly beans was bad-"

"You threw up after that, you ate so many."

"-but you said when I was little you had some leeway. So…you could have said no?" I sat back, looking up at her and enjoying the way her hair fell around her shoulders.

"Yes." She frowned.

"Why didn't you?" I smiled up at her, pulling her down for a kiss.

"Because I like saying yes to you." I whispered against her lips before kissing her again. She smiled and pulled back.

"In that case, could we go get some jelly beans? I have a craving." I laughed, drawing her down for one more kiss. There was only one answer I could give her.

"Yes."


End file.
